Many readers of this article will only contemplate visiting
a dentist when they absolutely have to; when their dental problems start
to impact on other areas of their lives. But when you reach that stage
what do you do? This article is designed to help you decide what to do
and who to see at that point.You should look to certain positives that a caring dentist,
(a dentist that may be right for you), might give you: Probably the best way of finding a dentist is word of
mouth.
If you’re not happy to talk to others about your fears, the internet
is an important source of information. Look at websites offering help
and advice for dental phobics. Websites that offer or invite you to call
in for advice or help, without obligation, are also good indicators that
those at the other end of the phone are patient and willing to listen.The first step is a phone call or e-mail. If you phone
and the dentist isn’t able to speak to you right away, he or she
should be prepared to phone you back and discuss your problems with you.
If the dentist hasn’t the time or the inclination to respond, that
person may not be right for you. When talking to a dentist, make a mental note of the following:
look (or listen!) for a good listener and someone who is prepared to hear
about your dental problems and your fears and treat them with consideration.
The dentist should be sympathetic and not matter of fact in his or her
approach, and should not be judgemental of your situation.If you choose to e-mail ( a phone call may be a daunting
prospect for you), an early, friendly reply is a good sign. And often
an e-mail is a good starting point, the dentist might offer to be available
for you to follow-up the e-mail with a call at a pre-determined, mutually
convenient time, again without obligation. This gives you the opportunity
to discuss in more detail your needs and see if the dentist can give you
the service you feel may have been lacking in the past. An initial very
long e-mail that lists many problems can be difficult for the dentist
to answer specifically, so try to keep the e-mail short and to the point.
Once you’ve e-mailed and received a favourable reply, it is then
usually easier for a dentist to have a good two-way phone conversation
with a prospective patient and deal with all (your) concerns in one informal
chat, than to have many e-mails going back and forth. You can also gauge
how caring and attentive the dentist is over the phone and perhaps choose
to make an appointment on the strength of your impression. Your first visit to the practice doesn’t have to
involve any treatment or even an examination. You and the dentist may
choose to do this after work, when the dentist has finished seeing his
or her other patients, and the session can be a getting to know you one
for both parties. On your first visit to the practice check to see if
the staff are friendly. Do they greet you nicely and make you feel welcome?
When meeting the dentist, be as open and honest as you
can. A dentist can’t help you if he or she doesn’t understand
your feelings. A sympathetic dentist will give you control of this meeting
and be responsive to your feelings. In my experience, although these meetings
are often emotional affairs for a dentally phobic patient, when patients
first meet a sympathetic dentist, (perhaps someone they didn’t think
would ever exist for them), these first meetings can end up being very
rewarding.A caring dentist, (someone who is truly attuned to your
needs), will never be judgemental of your situation. In my experience
many patients feel ashamed of their mouths and fear that the reaction
from a dentist, when first seeing their dental problems, will be a damning
one. But the sympathetic dentist will not be critical of you at all. Dentists
are used to dealing with dental problems every day of their working lives
and what you may show them is not shocking to them. The right dentist
for you will be encouraging and supportive of you. I have the utmost sympathy
for someone who has been too scared to come until they have to. I have
admiration for them too: it is a very courageous act to attend a practice
when every instinct in your body is saying: “LEAVE NOW!” I
will often tell a patient that they should feel proud of themselves for
having come to see me. Although it is the first step in a process, it
is a huge step, and one a patient should be congratulated for by the dentist
and his or her staff. A caring dentist will often be able to offer hope to the
phobic patient, re-assuring them that their situation can be resolved.
Techniques in the treatment of dental phobics and their dental problems
have vastly improved in recent years, and importantly, the attitudes of
dentists have improved. Very often the situation is not as bad as the patient
fears. So when you’ve allowed the dentist to take a look at your
mouth, the caring dentist will observe the dental situation and draw up
a treatment plan to deal with any problem areas. This may initially involve
dealing with painful teeth but may include a plan to restore broken teeth,
replace missing teeth, or deal with gum disease or a combination of these
scenarios. The dentist will also talk through the ways that are available
to manage your fears of treatment to allow you to have any necessary work
carried out in a manner you find you can cope with.A caring dentist will involve you in the decision process
too – it is your mouth, after all! The days of being dictated to
by a dentist are over, thankfully, so give the dentist an idea of what
you want from him or her and only allow what you want to be done. A caring
dentist will advise you as to what should be done in their opinion, but
the final decision as to what is done should rest with you.
One final thought: From a dentist’s point of view
it is easier to treat a simple problem than a complex one – so try
not to leave your problem too long and I hope you’ve found this
article of benefit in choosing the dentist who’s right for you.
